So sad, that she was allowed to “retire,” effective immediately. Even sadder that every President, including not just Obama, but Bush, too, sucked up to this extremist. What she said on video, last week, wasn’t new. In fact, those of us in the know are well aware that she’s been uttering this crap for years, and it’s been tolerated, embraced. Why?

And don’t forget, Helen Thomas is not a Muslim, but a Christian Arab. She’s Greek Orthodox, and many Greek Orthodox are Jew-haters, who repeatedly sided with Hezbollah, the P.L.O. and now, HAMAS.

62 Responses

Awesome news.
And Debbie, please don’t generalize, I’m greek orthodox as well, and I have great sympathy for jews. I don’t think the proportion of jew-haters among greek orthodox is higher than among catholics.

C: You are in the minority. In Israel, the Greek Orthodox Church urged parishioners to work for HAMAS, and the top Greek Orthodox official was caught sneaking HAMAS bombs in the back of his car. In fact, many Maronite Christians (Catholics) in Lebanon support Israel, whereas most Greek Orthodox hate them and support Hezbollah and Syria. Sorry, but this isn’t generalizing. It’s called facts. Face ’em. DS

I am not aware of the facts, so I might be wrong, but I would assume that after Ehud Barak betrayed the Maronites when Israel cowardly ran out of Lebanon and left them defenselss against Hizbullah this would no longer be the case.

Debbie, it’s true, the Greek Orthodox Church continues to spew hard core anti-Semitism decades after the Catholic Church put a sock in it, and Greece is rabidly anti-Israel (about 90% of Greek Jews were murdered by the Nazis, so there aren’t many left). They all would prefer the Arabs control Jerusalem instead of the Jews, as to them that’s like nobody having it, until the day comes when its theirs again (chas v’shalom). Helen Thomas should be sent back to Lebanon ASAP, as the IAF should soon be making another delivery.

I was listening to Michael Savage’s show on friday afternoon/evening, and he called for the firing of Helen Thomas, turns out that Thomas wasn’t fired for her anti-semetic remarks towards jewish people (like Debbie Schlussel, Steve Malzberg, etc.), she was dismissed and forced to step down as a correspondent to the White House.

And your right Debbie, it’s not just Obama who’s kissing her ass, the two Bush’s did the samething, along with Clinton and probably Reagan, and more likely Carter!

The hateful remarks by Helen Thomas do not disturb me as much as the apparent tolerance of previous comments does. We have a deep problem in American culture if her anti-Semitic point of view is tolerated by administration after administration. This is a red flare calling for further investigation in my opinion.

Hey came across your site and love it , we must be long lost soul mates our views are sympatico baby. Why do we never ever see a proud Jewish hero in films? Blacks, women, gays, all have been portrayed as noble , but never Jews, Prince of persia plllease. I am writing a screenplay about Bar Kokhba , let other readers enlighten the readers, but suffice it to say the cowardly film industry will not touch it and if they do they will make him a woman, black or perhaps a younger helen thomas.
ps haters of ISRAEL ALWAYS SEEM TO BE IN THE EXTREME CAMPS.

I think in Thomas’ case the proper retort would be “Don’t slam the door on your way out.” I, for one, wouldn’t mind if the door DID hit her, and given her feelings toward Jews (how long until she declares that “the Jews did her in”?), she probably WOULD slam the door.

The press corps is a culture all to itself, with its own traditions. There’s no question they covered up Thomas’ true sentiments. People holding such attitudes don’t tend to hide them.

Yes, Greek anti-Semitism has a long history. Just consider the tale of Salonica (today Thessaloniki) – for centuries, a predominantly Jewish city and center of eastern Mediterranean trade. The Greeks first nationalized much of the region’s trade and shipping, then settled Greeks expelled from Turkey in the city (diluting the Jewish presence), then – after the Nazis murdered most of the Jewish residents – worked to erase the city’s Jewish history.

The Hag’s father was a scholar and in 1938 wrote a definitive book on Islamic history. He was also AN ADVISOR TO THE “GRAND” MUFTI Al Husseini during his love fest with Adolph. This was on Israel National News yesterday, Sunday, but I don’t remember whose column. Sorry about that.

She was probably this ugly even at birth. she just had to leave with a parting shot illustrating her true feelings. I’ve always compared her with Madeline Albright who looks like Simon Bar Sinister from the old Underdog cartoons.

Somebody told me that she WAS an Antiochian( Arab) Orthodox Christian. Not the same as the Greek Church but still Orthodox. However, she supposedly is NOT an active Christian.

My doctor is 1st generation Greek-Armenian and is married to an an Israeli born Jew. They travel to both countries each year for vacation. Both are religious people and very good people. Conservative GOP as well. Boy do they dislike Obama!WOW!

I have many Greek-American friends and NOT an anti-Israel person among them. Now, I know of some Arab Christians who had a prayer vigil at their church for ARAFAT after he died.

So, I think to generalize about Greeks being anti-Jew is like saying ALL American Jews are Liberals.

The Greek Orthodox Church never went through Vatican II. Much of its ritual and teaching is still laced with contempt for the Jews. And so its no surprise the Church hierarchy in the Middle East backs the very Islamists who would kill them given half the chance. When it comes to hatred of the Jews, every one can and does put aside theological differences. So as Debbie observed, not every Christian in the Middle East is friendly towards the Jews and Israel – the Greek Orthodox and Egyptian Copts stand out as Christians who share much the mindset towards the Jews and Israel as their Islamic adversaries. That is the truth.

NormanF, The Orthodox churches call themselves that because they NEVER went thru Vatican 1, LOL They are “Orthodox” because they adhere to what they believe were the original teachings of the Church before the Vatican became pre-eminent in the West. Very different doctrines in many areas and a worse history of doctrinal antisemitism that amongst the “catholic” denominations of which there are 21 ruled by Rome but different in canonical law details, e.g. Eastern Catholic priests being permitted to marry.

BTW there are tens of thousands of Armenians here in Israel whose families were permitted to enter and settle when Ataturk committed his genocide and they have been well treated and assimilated.

NO, it’s not because there is well documented historical evidence of what the Greek Orthodox and it’s offshoots have perpetrated against us. In fact, doctrinal antisemitism is part of their teaching. There was only one church until the Fifth Century C.E. and its founding fathers spewed hatred on an institutional level that has stained them forever. The Eastern (Orthodox) church separated from Rome and based itself in Constantinople and kept to those doctrines. The Roman church while holding to their Spiritual supremacy and our spiritually lost condition made a distinction that the Orthodox and Martin Luther did not. Unfortunately, some in the Roman church, held on to the teachings of Augustine, Chrysostom, Jerome and others long enough for them to become part of the Western consciousness also. It was not part of the general teaching later on, in fact, I wouldn’t get too excited about Vat 2 since it brought Paul, y”s, back into favor. Until then, his teaching was given short shrift by the RCC and it was in Vat 2 that they embraced his idea of “spiritual” Israel. Not so good for our side.
I had the questionable benefits of a Catholic education including some time with Jesuits. But after 13 years of it, although a Jew, I think I can speak with some veracity as to what I was taught. BTW I was in a Cath. college during Vat 2.

If you read Chrysostom, he was full of intense hatred for the Jews – he wanted them killed and their synagogues burned down. That’s why the man became an Orthodox saint. The Catholic Augustine is only marginally better in that he thought the Jews should be preserved in humiliation as witnesses to the triumph of Christianity.That explains the difference in the treatment of the Jews under the Byzantines while they ruled Eretz Israel and the treatment of the Jews in the Catholic West after the 4th Century. And we still live with the legacy the Jew is less than fully human today.

Clarification: the distinction from the pulpit was that we were to be converted to save our souls and “good Christians” needed to love us enough to bring that teaching. We were “worth” the effort because we were the people of the Bible and of JC. The Eastern churches however demonized us as the spawn of hasatan.

Irrelevant in hindsight, since the resulting persecutions were the same. And while most people believe that the Inquisition was against those who failed to convert, it wasn’t. It was a movement to “purify” those who had professed Catholicism and who were suspected of “backsliding” into Jewish practice. We were made to walk thru the “refining fire” To keep us pure. A pogrom is a pogrom, make no mistake but as was said the Church as an institution has renounced the teachings of anti-semitism which the Orthodox patriarchate has yet to do.

Exactly. And when you see the Jews as evil, it doesn’t take a lot to help Hezbollah and Hamas who share your antipathy towards them. So its no surprise to see Orthodox Christians taking part in the Muslim war on Israel.

The Maronites love Israel? Are you high? I’m a Maronite Lebanese and we spit on Israel and their expansionist policies.

During the 80’s some Maronite factions allied with Israel to fight the Palestinians in Lebanon, but that was a strategic alliance and not real friendship. Very soon we learned that Israel is not be trusted in any way and the alliance slowly disintegrated anyways.

The latest example of how we don’t trust or like Israel is, when the Israelis and the Americans gave your Syrian friends the green light to occupy Lebanon in exchange for Syrian support of Desert Storm.

Go educate yourself Debbie. Lesson #1, do not generalize about Lebanese people. We are very individualistic. If you know a few Lebanese who may like Israel that does not mean that we all do.

They didn’t “get kicked out” they were offered citizenship which many refused and they willingly sold land to Jews so the Jews would be able to build homes. Some sold and went to Lebanon or Syria rather than live in a Jewish state but it was their choice. We were very good friends with a Christian Arab family in Acco years ago and this was what they told us. The father was fine with it, the daughters felt it was a wrong decision and I can understand that but it was not coerced and they admitted as much.
If you are a Christian of any stripe, just remember they lord you claim to serve is a Jew and always was.

Israel has a valid claim to Yesha. I would say Israel has one to Gaza as well. Part of the reason Israel is in such trouble today is because you never hear the Stupid Jews who run it ever say once the Jews have a right to the country. All we keep hearing is the Palestinians have a right to Israel. No wonder then when the world thinks like Thomas does, the Jews should go back where they came from. And if the Jews won’t stand up for their right to Eretz Israel and assert it, they shouldn’t expect the world to do it for them.

Norman, look at the cases by the Israeli Supreme Court. Israel specifically says that the Occupied Territories are not part of Isreael, and that they have not been annexed. They justify their continued control over the area by the international legal doctrine of belligerent occupation.

“Norman, look at the cases by the Israeli Supreme Court. Israel specifically says that the Occupied Territories are not part of Isreael. . . .”

Jim, it would be more accurate if you referred to the “Israeli Supreme Court” in quotation marks. It has no legal right to opine on what is, or is not, “Israel.” Courts are supposed to interpret the law, not to make it. When it became fully controlled by leftists (new membership being determined mainly by the current members), it simply blathered leftist (illegal) opinion.

Legally, there can be no “occupation” unless a state is being occupied. No other state but Israel has ever existed on the land in question. The state of Israel was declared on land between the Med and the Jordan. This is how the British, the Mandatory Power (illegally) split the land, giving the rest to “Transjordan.” There was never a legally binding, accepted partition of all the territory of Eretz Israel. A proposed second partition (the first being the giving of the lion’s share of the Jewish homeland to the state eventually called Jordan) was rejected by the Arabs, who (illegally) then declared war.

The only occupied land is Jordan, now being squatted upon by Muslims. The Fakestinians in Eretz Israel are hostile aliens who have always been at war with the Jews there. They need, finally, to be expelled.

Agreed. Why aren’t Jewish rights on the agenda in Israeli negotiators’ minds? Concessions imply Israel has no rights at all. Like I’ve always been fond of saying, you can take the Jew out of the Ghetto but its hard to take the Ghetto out of the Jew. And what is wrong exactly with opposing Palestinians maximalist claims on the basis the Jews are the indigenous people of the country? That isn’t asserted at all in Israeli hasbara. And no wonder the world views the Jews a colonial-settler state. If you don’t assert your rights, the enemy will win by default.

“skzion and norman, the Israeli government argued this position [that Yesha and Gaza belongs to Israel] before the Israeli Supreme Court.”

Jim on June 8, 2010 at 1:37 pm

Jim’s implication: that therefore that Yesha and Gaza–the so-called “Occupied Territories”–are not part of Israel because the Israeli Supreme Court said so.

From skzion at 1:21 pm:

“Jim, it would be more accurate if you referred to the ‘Israeli Supreme Court’ in quotation marks. It has no legal right to opine on what is, or is not, ‘Israel.’ Courts are supposed to interpret the law, not to make it. When it became fully controlled by leftists (new membership being determined mainly by the current members), it simply blathered leftist (illegal) opinion.”

You didn’t respond to that point by skzion the first time, Jim. Would you care to try again?

I am an Antiochian Orthodox individual, and I, for one, hate no one. The God I worship demands that I love my neighbor as myself, and although I am a poor sinner, I strive for that every day of my life. Please don’t say evil things about all of us.

AO, good for you! You also apparently grasped the CORRECT meaning of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It was not meant as an anti-semitic screed although that his how it’s been used more than not. It’s true meaning is that when in dire straits, even those we hate become neighbors in need. There is actually a similar story in the Talmud so probably while the Talmud was still largely an oral work and not organized into written form, your Nazarene rabbi knew the story.

Jeff, the Israeli government argued that point in front of the Israel Supreme Court and the Supreme Court agreed. It’s not just the Supreme Court’s decision. It’s the government’s official legal position in its legal brief.

Well, Jim, any any case, I will state for the record that I agree with both NormanF and skzion that the territories of Judea, and Samaria, and Gaza are parts of Israel, regardless of what the either Israeli government or the Israeli Supreme Court says. Skzion at 1:21 pm–not the part that I already quoted from–gives at least a partial reason as to why this is so.

On a sadder note, I also agree with NormanF at 1:34 pm when he said: ” And no wonder the world views the Jews a colonial-settler state. If you don’t assert your rights, the enemy will win by default.” Accordingly, I am ashamed of the fact that the various Israeli governments and Supreme Courts–especially in the last 17 years–have refused to defend their rights to those territories and point out that the territories belong to Israel for not only security reasons, but also for religious, historical, and cultural reasons.

The American media people (including FNC) were clearly not overly concerned or offended by Thomas’s views, but rather were critical of her only for making those views public.
I am afraid antisemitism and anti Israel sentiments even in this great USA are alive and well…